An Invigorating Conversation with Amir Fattal
Photo Credit: © Image KÖNIG GALERIE
Amir Fattal (b.1978 Tel Aviv, Israel) is an artist and curator based in Berlin. Fattal’s practice is one of reflection grounded in the history of aesthetics and cultural references. Working in new technologies such as AI, 3D printing and digital animation, his work highlights their effects on creativity.
In his new series of Post Artificial Painting, Fattal reimagines classic art world scenarios for the 21st century. Amir Fattal starts each work with a series of prompts that coax forth a fictional portrait from the depths of AI’s ‘collective unconscious’. Then, employ traditional oil painting techniques on canvas to bring these AI-generated images to life, blurring the line between reality and imagination.
Fattal’s series proposes AI prompting as an intriguing new artistic technique in its own right, making one wonder what verbal incantations were used to create these vividly lifelike creatures who seem to have human backstories of their own. They are, in a word, aspirational, with the subtly coded “je ne sais quoi” of a 21st-century aristocracy - understated, dialed in, self-aware, and breathtakingly precise in their aesthetic. The portraits capture the zeitgeist uncannily, raising questions about how our collective data is used to dream up these non-existent humans, and how they reflect our society at large.
He studied at Absolventen Bildende Kunst, UdK Berlin under the guidance of Professor Katharina Sieverding, Professor Hito Steyerl, and Professor Stan. He conitued his studies at Meisterschueler Bildende kunst, UdK Berlin under Professor Sieverding. He also participated in the Scholarship Exchange Program at the School of the Art Institute, Chicago.
Fattal has exhibited widely in various art spaces, museums, and galleries, such as Anna Jill Lüpertz Gallery, Teapot Gallery, Wilde Gallery, RMCA Museum, Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Hengesbach Gallery, Georg Kolbe Museum, and elsewhere.
I had the pleasure of asking Amir about the one thing he can not live without as an artist, his latest exhibit and so much more.
UZOMAH: Your new exhibit, "Post-Artificial Paintings," interprets classical art world scenes for the 21st century. How does the use of assisted technologies bring out these noted scenes more?
AMIR: For the past two years, I have been using AI generative technology daily. The more I use it, the more I am fascinated by the process. I am trying to understand how the deciphering of aesthetics is categorized within it and what I can learn from the vast amount of images and their provenance. Through this process, I started to create scenes taken from the art world, from artists with models in their studios to collectors in their homes to art dealers in their offices. By doing so, I was trying to pull out of the AI what we culturally consider good taste.
Antonio, 2023, Oil on canvas, 150 x 220 cm, Courtesy of the artist & KÖNIG GALERIE
U: How was the process of creating your most recent exhibit?
A: I started working on the paintings on Midjourney, which is an AI program that generates visuals. I began with different text prompts and then added different images, from other AI images that I created to photos that I take in real life and ones collected from the internet. That helped me develop and maintain my original style. Once I have a result that I am happy with, the painting process is produced by hand in a workshop in China.
U: Is creating art a means of creating a free space, and if so, how?
A: For me, creating art is about creating a space for contemplation, where people can ask questions about creativity, originality, and technology. I am interested in what is contemporary and why. In this specific body of work, I am also expanding the possibilities of what painting can be in the third decade of the 21st century.
Amir Fattal: Post Artificial Paintings Installation View: KÖNIG TELEGRAPHENAMT, Berlin, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of the artist & KÖNIG GALERIE
U: What is one item you cannot live without as an artist?
A: At the moment, it's my laptop, since the work starts as a digital process, and I spend eight hours a day designing.
U: What has been a particularly challenging piece or series you've worked on? Can you describe how you overcame the obstacles during the process?
A: My most challenging piece is the one that I am still working on. It is called 'Surrogate,' a sci-fi music installation that I shot at the Mies van der Rohe pavilion in Barcelona. There are some complex CGI scenes that I am designing on a gaming engine. I have been working on this for four years now. Hopefully, it will be done by the end of the year.
Roy, 2023, Oil on canvas, 90 x 80 cm, Courtesy of the artist & KÖNIG GALERIE
U: What has working with new technologies taught you about creating art in new ways?
A: For the past ten years, I have worked with 3D printing, blockchain, animation, and AI. Each technology had a new learning curve that also brought up many questions and new ways of thinking. I love to challenge myself in this way.
U: How does being an artist help as a curator, and how does being a curator help as an artist?
A: I love the part of curation that lets me interact with other artists and create a space that brings people together. Being an artist is sometimes very lonely and isolating. Curation lets me work with other artists that I love and keeps me searching for new interesting art to share publicly.
U: What is the most important aspect of creating art for you?
A: I don’t think about it in these terms. I don’t have control over my creative process; it is always there. It is part of my curiosity and how I process things intellectually and emotionally. At this point, it is a lot about the passion that I have to understand how to work with AI. It feels more like a collaboration, like an action and reaction. It keeps me motivated to try new approaches to make things. I love that it is still an uncharted territory. We are still at the first step of a huge revolution, maybe the biggest in humankind. We have a tool that contains so much of our human output, which is now digitized and accessible to create and research within seconds.
For more information about Amir’s artwork, please visit his site and also follow him on Instagram.
